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midterm elections

The CEOs of 20 companies are visiting the White House Wednesday, and those executives will try to get something in return for the political cover they're giving President Obama. That could mean higher earnings for their shareholders down the road -- so which ones should you have in your 2011 portfolio?

President Obama sailed into the White House on the wings of hope, but now a majority of Americans say they're doing worse now than before he arrived two years ago, according to Bloomberg National Poll results released Thursday.

A new Bloomberg poll shows 68% of investors say Obama's policies are "detrimental to the U.S. investment climate." That's despite soaring corporate earnings and a huge bounceback in stock prices during his administration. Somewhere, there's a disconnect.

Grab a cup of java and listen to this short video of Hilary Kramer, respected investment adviser and editor of GameChangerStocks.com. Now that the elections are over and the Republicans have control of the House of Representatives, Kramer says that trillions of dollars on the balance sheets of corporations will be put to good use. Here's how you can profit.

Networks broadcasting midterm election results attracted 11% more viewers than they did during the 2006 elections, and about a third more than the 2002 midterms, indicating the heightened level political interest among Americans concerned about House and Senate races, Nielsen reported Friday.

While polls may close late tonight across the country, we probably won't know the names of all the winners for days, weeks or potentially months as challenges and demands for recounts delay final tallies.

In Asia on Tuesday, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 0.1%, China's Shanghai Composite inched down 0.3%. and in Japan, the Nikkei 225 crept up 0.1%. Investors are closely monitoring the U.S. midterm elections, with many predicting that if the Democrats lose their majorities in both the House and the Senate, the dollar will continue to slide.

Many will be watching to see if the state's voters say yes to Proposition 19, the controversial ballot measure that would legalize marijuana in California. Advocates say the measure would be a moneymaker. Opponents see nothing but trouble ahead if Prop 19 passes.

President Barack Obama talked turkey with Apple (AAPL) CEO and founder Steve Jobs on Thursday, covering a wide range of topics from American competitiveness to job creation, according to a Reuters report.

Republicans can be friendly to solar energy -- just don't use the terms "recovery act" or "stimulus package" when lobbying them for government subsidies. That was the message from GOP political adviser Mary Matalin at the largest solar conference in the country on Thursday.

CNBC's Larry Kudlow blogged Tuesday that the a GOP win in November's elections would create an explosion of U.S. job creation. One of his guests that day on The Kudlow Report was DailyFinance's Peter Cohan, who breaks down precisely why that rhetoric doesn't match reality.

While American pols deal in brinksmanship over taxes and the economy, China's leaders are smoothly gaining influence on the world stage. Witness the good will generated by Premier Wen Jiabao on his recent whirlwind tour of Europe.

The Senate will not vote on extending any of the Bush-era tax cuts until after the November election.
"Democrats believe we must permanently extend tax cuts for the middle-class before they expire at the end of the year, and we will," Jim Manley, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Reid said in an e-mail, Reuters reported.

Republicans in the House of Representatives promised to end "job-killing tax hikes" and repeal the health reform law as part of their campaign manifesto for the November election.
In their "Pledge to America," House Republicans also say they will ban federal funding for abortion, cancel any unspent stimulus funding, and try suspected terrorists in military courts, The New York Daily News said.

TV station political revenues may hit $2.5 billion in 2010, a 25% increase above 2006, SNL Kagan says. Among the biggest beneficiaries: conservative broadcaster Sinclair, which has the largest footprint of all independent station owners in areas with contested elections.

Mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac may not even exist in their current forms after a revamp of the U.S. housing finance system, Assistant Treasury Secretary Michael Barr said on Tuesday. Moreover, "private gains will no longer be subsidized by public losses," he said.

Recognizing that voters are worried about the economy, President Obama is offering an olive branch to his critics with a $50 billion infrastructure plan and a deal to make the R&D tax credit permanent. Conservatives say it's too little too late, but the game is far from over for the Democrats.

Economists say the Obama administration's stimulus program actually saved the country's economy from plunging into the Great Depression 2.0. Yet that news will likely fail to sway voters who believe the current administration didn't do enough to support the economy.

Stocks have a history of posting impressive gains in the fourth quarter of a mid-term election year. From a surprise tax cut to gridlock in D.C., there's a host of outcomes that could cause investors to celebrate.

After Tuesday's primary, the governor's race in Michigan sounds like a battle between comic book villains. The GOP's Rick Snyder, former head of Gateway Computer, calls himself "one tough nerd." His Democratic foe, Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero, has the nickname "America's Angriest Mayor."

While the extension of jobless benefits may pass at some point, there's no doubt that both sides see political gain in keeping bill stalled. Indeed, it seems every major player in the debate has a political agenda that has all but crippled action.

If you want to know what Beijing really believes about China's red-hot economy, its real estate market or the state of the global recovery, forget the numbers that the government can manipulate. Look at whether it allows China's currency to rise against the dollar.

The clock is ticking for Democrats. Obama and his party have just six months to create jobs and lower unemployment, or divided government in Washington is ahead. Failure to improve the jobs outlook by summer means Republicans could return to power in the U.S. House in the November elections.